WHITE AND CUCKOO DORKINGS. 



385 



while on the other hand any meat forcing tends 

 to excess or deformity in the comb. Free 

 range gives the best all-round results ; and 

 on the whole, taking comb, and size, and 

 plumage into consideration, there is no variety 

 in which ample range is more important to 

 a really high exhibition standard. 



In breeding White Dorkings the chief points 

 to keep in view are good combs and silvery- 

 white colour. To care for the latter point, Mr. 

 Cresswell again attributed the great 

 Breeding gain in hardiness which he also re- 



Dorkings, ported in this breed. Really first- 



class specimens of both sexes will 

 breed chickens of both from one pen ; but as 

 usual in white breeds, if such are not obtain- 

 able, siJvery-white hackle and neat comb, with 

 good style, is the principal essential in the cock, 

 especially for breeding cockerels, while size may 

 be a little sacrificed. Hens must be large and 

 roomy in any case ; and any peculiarity in style 

 or carriage of tail is likely to be more con- 

 spicuous in the cockerels. Mr. Cresswell added 

 the curious and remarkable experience that 

 many of his birds laid so incessantly that 

 they never grew broody at all, so that he 

 had to fall back on other hens as foster- 

 mothers. The breed was always known as 

 the best layer among the Dorkings ; but this 

 modern development is very interesting, and a 

 remarkable testimony. against breeding for ex- 

 hibition always spoiling the useful qualities of 

 poultry. The deep square body of the Dorking 

 in general should always be sought for in 

 mating up breeding stock. 



The White Dorking was formerly inferior in 

 size to its Dark relatives. As Miss Fairhurst, 

 a very successful exhibitor forty years ago, 

 pointed out at that time, White birds often 

 appear smaller by the side of Dark ones when 

 they are not really so, and there is no doubt 

 that in mixed classes they often .suffer unjustly 

 from that cause ; but the White Dorking cock 

 of those days scarcely ever exceeded 8 lbs. to 

 10 lbs. Mr. John Martin, however, by a cross 

 with Dark Dorkings, effected a startling increase 

 in these weights. He put a large Dark cock, 

 the darkest he could find, to White hens, the 

 produce being cuckoo-colour. These birds were 

 crossed back to the White, from which came 

 many Whites, and after that all was easy. 

 The produce of this experiment was dispersed 

 soon after, on Lady Holmesdale's retirement, 

 and at her sale several very large birds were 

 brought to the hammer, one White cock weighing 

 over 12 lbs., and winning at nearly all the winter 

 shows following. Years afterwards, Mr. Martin 

 repeated the experim.ent, using his rose-combed 



Palace winner as the sire, and among the 

 produce this time was a cockerel we knew 

 well, which weighed \o\ lbs. at eight months 

 old. The blood of some of these crosses is 

 to be found in many of the White Dorkings of 

 to-day, but the entire gain in size has not been 

 kept up, nor is it desirable that it should be, the 

 very huge birds being neither the best layers 

 nor the best table-fowls. 



There is yet one more recognised variety, 

 known as the Cuckoo Dorking, this being the 

 old English word for the blue barred plumage 

 called by Americans Dominique, 

 Cuckoo and seen to its greatest perfection 



Dorkings. in the Plymouth Rock. Cuckoo 

 Dorkings have scarcely been known 

 out of Surrey, and clearly originated in the 

 crossing for table poultry of dark and white 

 varieties, the colour always appearing when 

 much crossing of that kind takes place. The 

 birds, as we have seen them, have always been 

 somewhat small, but are generally reported as 

 hardier than the more orthodox types under 

 ordinary conditions, and are said also to be 

 more juicy in flesh. The variety has never been 

 a favourite, Meall writing of it even in 1854 that 

 "it is very little known and still less admired," 

 and it is a good proof of what happens to a 

 breed when fanciers do not meddle with it : 

 instead of being better than the others, because 

 " unspoilt " by them, it is become practically 

 extinct. In 1871 and 1872 classes for Cuckoos 

 were offered at the Crystal Palace show ; but 

 there were not sufficient entries, and similar 

 attempts to encourage Cuckoos have been 

 made since with no better result. 



One reason for this want of popularity is 

 probably that there is little real breed in this 

 colour at all. If there were, continual breeding 

 by only one or two breeders, must long since 

 have produced unusual delicacy of constitution ; 

 but all concerning which we have been able to 

 make inquiry, have proved of very recent origin, 

 though at an earlier period Mr. Elgar of 

 Reigate, and one or two others, did endeavour 

 for some years to breed them pure. The fact is 

 that the colour is continually springing up here 

 and there from crosses, and to this is owing its 

 hardihood. But such constantly re-made and 

 raw stock is peculiarly liable to red or gold or 

 black or white feathers, and gives so much work 

 to a breeder, that there is little inducement to 

 persevere. The few specimens to be seen now 

 and then usually appear at shows where, after 

 the Dark and perhaps another variety or 

 two, there are open classes for " Any Other 

 Colour." 



